DY-NA-MITE!

"Time to the writer is like play dough in the hands of a toddler."

The concept that writers control and shape time in their stories is new to me. If it's new to ME, oh studier of English, it's definitely new to kids. Such a simple thing, and yet I've never concentrated on it in my own writing. I've never given much thought to how powerful it can be to expand what was mere moments in real time to what becomes pages in literary land. Hence - exploding a moment! Ka-pow! (Think Adam West Batman). The image of stealthily putting a stick of dynamite between words, shattering a sentence or two into many pieces, then putting them back together again, not in the original way they were found but in a new way, glued together with complimentary sensory details and drama - astounded that there's more now than when one began... cool.

In my experience, students have the least practice with effective revision strategies. They don't like to do it and further, they don't know how to do it. This isn't the first time they've claimed to hate something they've never tried. Caviar anyone? They struggle when it comes to peer review. Constructive criticism from their buddies isn't enough to guide students on a mission toward successful revision. Instead they need concrete tools to utilize when they just can't figure out what to do next. Barry Lane has it figured out. Thoughtshots, Snapshots, Exploding a Moment, and well, don't we all just love Making a Scene? These are smart, sassy, simple ways for students to hone their craft and crank out a final product they can be proud of.

As I was searching for a resource, I came across a powerpoint that illustrates Exploding a Moment beautifully. Check it out here.


Okay, so I wanted a picture of dynamite, and well, I guess I found some. This is the best I could do... GOSH.